Lessico
Artemidoro di Daldi
In greco Artemídøros, in latino Artemidorus: scrittore
greco (sec. II dC). Nato a Efeso, aggiunse al proprio nome il luogo di
nascita, in Lidia
,
della madre. Seguace dello stoicismo, scrisse un trattato in cinque libri
sull'interpretazione dei sogni (Onirocriticon - Oneirocriticus),
che ebbe fortuna nell'età rinascimentale per il suo raffinato stile atticista.
Ecco cosa scrisse a proposito delle uova: «Le uova sono propizie ai medici, ai pittori e alle persone che da esse traggono sostentamento: quanto agli altri, se sono poche indicano guadagno per il loro potere nutritivo; se invece sono molte preannunciano preoccupazione e affanno, e spesso pure processi, perché i pulcini nati da esse razzolano dappertutto e scoprono le cose nascoste.»
Artemidoro, nato a Efeso nel II secolo dC, fu l'autore di uno dei pochi trattati del mondo greco a noi pervenutoci sull'interpretazione dei sogni dal titolo Onirocritica (Ὀνειροκριτικά) in cinque libri. Le sue fonti dovevano essere molto ampie se, come egli stesso scrive, aveva letto sull'argomento tutto ciò che era disponibile al suo tempo, raccolto durante i suoi viaggi in Asia, Grecia e Italia.
Scopo principale di Artemidoro è dimostrare che l'interpretazione dei sogni, come atto puramente conoscitivo, è possibile (tesi che trovava un suo fondamento nell'idea stoica della "simpatia" universale). Terminato l'atto conoscitivo, e data quindi un'interpretazione dei sogni, Artemidoro non si azzarda a consigliare comportamenti futuri sulla base di tale interpretazione, discostandosi quindi da quelle pratiche magiche tanto in voga al suo tempo.
Nell'opera Artemidoro offre una panoramica completa della materia onirica, fornendo una sistemazione scientifica dei sogni, basata sugli episodi storici, e distinguendo in tal modo i sogni legati al passato ed al presente e quelli relativi al futuro, interpretati come profetici e simbolici. Lo stile è semplice, ma allo stesso tempo elegante. La prima edizione dell'opera è quella curata da Aldo Manuzio, a Venezia, nel 1518
Stando a
quanto si legge in Suda
(α 4025) scrisse anche un trattato Sulla scienza
augurale e uno Sulla chiromanzia.
Edizioni e traduzioni
Roger Pack, ed., Artemidori Daldiani Onirocriticon Libri V, Leipzig, Teubner, 1963.
Una versione araba dei primi tre libri risale all'877 per opera di Hunayn B. Ishaq, e pubblicata da Toufic Fahd con traduzione francese nel 1964 con il titolo Le livre des songes [par] Artémidore d'Éphèse.
La traduzione inglese più recente è di R.J. White, The Interpretation of Dreams (Park Ridge, NJ, 1975).
La traduzione italiana più recente è di Angela Giardino, Il libro dei sogni (2006).
La traduzione francese più recente è di A.J. Festugière, Clef des Songes (1975).
I frammenti degli altri scrittori onirocritici sono raccolti in Dario Del Corno, Graecorum de re Onirocritica Scriptorum Reliquiae (1969), con commento.
Artemidorus Daldianus or Ephesius was a professional diviner and author known for an extant five-volume Greek work Oneirocritica, (English: The Interpretation of Dreams). Artemidorus was surnamed Ephesius, from Ephesus, on the west coast of Asia Minor, but was also called Daldianus, from his mother's native city, Daldis in Lydia. He lived in the second century.
According to Artemidorus, the material for his work was gathered during lengthy travels through Greece, Italy and Asia, from diviners of high and low station. Another major source were the writings of Artemidorus' predecessors, sixteen of whom he cites by name. It is clear he built on a rich written tradition, now otherwise lost. Artemidorus' method is, at root, analogical. He writes that dream interpretation is "nothing other that the juxtaposition of similarities" (2.25). But like other types of Greek divination, including astrology, celestial divination and pallomancy, Greek dream divination (Oneiromancy) became exceedingly complex, a given dream subject to a number of interpretations depending on secondary considerations, such as the age, sex and status of the dreamer. At other times, subtle distinctions within the dream itself are significant. In a particularly memorable passage, Artemidorus expounds upon the meaning of dreams involving sex with one's mother:
"The case of one's mother is both complex and manifold and admits of many different interpretations—a thing not all dream interpreters have realized. The fact is that the mere act of intercourse by itself is not enough to show what is portended. Rather, the manner of the embraces and the various positions of the bodies indicate different outcomes." (Trans. Robert J. White)
There follows a lengthy and minute recitation of the divinatory significance of enjoying one's mother in various sexual positions.
The first three books of the Oneirocritica are dedicated to one Cassius Maximus and were intended to serve as a detailed introduction for both diviners and the general public. Books four and five were written for Artemidorus' son, also Artemidorus, to give him a leg-up on competitors, and Artemidorus cautions him about making copies.
According to the Suda (Alpha 4025), Artemidorus also penned a Oeonoscopica (Interpretation of Birds) and the Chiroscopica (Palmistry), but neither has survived, and the authorship is discounted. In the Oneirocritica Artemidorus displays a hostile attitude to palmistry.
Among the authors Artemidorus cites are Antiphon (possibly the same as
Antiphon the Sophist), Aristander of Telmessus, Demetrius of Phalerum,
Alexander of Myndus in Caria, and Artemon of Miletus. The fragments of these authors, from
Artemidorus and other sources, were collected by Del Corno in his Graecorum
de re onirocritica scriptorum reliquiae (1969).
Editions and translations
The definitive edition of the Greek text is by Roger Pack, Artemidori Daldiani Onirocriticon Libri V (Teubner 1963)
A medieval Arabic version was made of the first three books (ie., the "public" books) in 877 by Hunayn ibn Ishaq, and published by Toufic Fahd with a French translation in 1964 under the title Le livre des songes [par] Artémidore d'Éphèse
The most recent English translation is by R.J. White, The Interpretation of Dreams (Park Ridge, NJ, 1975). White's original translation is not in print, but was reformatted for the non-academic market (ISBN 0-944558-03-8); key images appear in boldface type and are indexed at the end.
The most recent Italian translation is by Angela Giardino, Il libro dei sogni (2006)
The most recent French translation is by A. J. Festugière, Clef des Songes (1975)
The "fragments" of other Greco-Roman oneirocritic authors were compiled by Dario Del Corno in his Graecorum de re Onirocritica Scriptorum Reliquiae (1969), with commentary in Italian. As many of the fragments are preserved by Artemidorus, Del Corno's work is also a partial commentary to the Oneirocritica.
There is also a Dutch translation, by Simone Mooij-Valk, called Droomboek (2003)
Journal of Family Therapy
Volume 16 Issue 4 Page 367-381, November 1994
We
are the stuff that dreams are made on:
the use of dreams in systemic therapy
Catherine Mary Sanders (1994)
Psychologist in private practice
Bower Place Pty Ltd, PO Box 157, Eastwood, South Australia 5063, Australia.
Abstract
This paper considers the place that dream material has occupied in therapy, and particularly family therapy. A rationale will be given for the inclusion of this source of information by systemic therapists. The use of dreams in systemic therapy with individuals, couples and families is described. Dreams are divided into five main categories: those that precipitate therapy, provide hypotheses, as memories, relationship dreams, and those that reflect the process of change. Each category is described and illustrated with relevant clinical material. The paper concludes with a method for working with dreams that is congruent with a systemic perspective applicable to individual, conjoint or family therapy sessions.
Introduction
We all sleep and, according to scientific researchers, we all dreameven if we cannot recall our visions in the morning (Lee and Mayes,1973). The earliest known records of dreams can be found onEgyptian papyri dating from between 2000 and 1790 BC, and as earlyas 140 CE Artemidorus of Daldi was writing of dreams as wishfulfilment and interpreting their symbols (Mahrer, 1989). In fact, Mahrer ( 1989) has claimed that ‘much of today’s dream theory andpractice of dreams was familiar several thousand years ago’ andpoints to Indian, Egyptian and Greek sources to support this contention.
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